Timepiece displaying the day of the month

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a timepiece displaying the day of the month, characterized by the fact that said timepiece comprises two rotating disks. ( 22, 24 ), which at least partly overlap and respectively display the digits and articles of the day of the month. Said two rotating disks ( 22, 24 ) are provided with the series of numbers  0  to  9  and the series of numbers  0, 1, 2, 3, 3 , all of which are evenly distributed across a peripheral ring, and are disposed such that the numbers of one disk are displayed so as to be juxtaposed to the numbers of the other disk. The inventive timepiece also comprises a mechanism ( 12, 14, 28, 32, 38 ) driving the rotating disks in order for the juxtaposed numbers to indicate the day of the month.

The present invention relates to a timepiece displaying the day of themonth by means of two disks which support respectively the series ofdigits forming the tens and the units. Such a construction isessentially intended to produce a display of the day of the month withlarge digits.

A piece of this type is described, for example, in the patentapplication FR 99 09425. The tens disk supports the digits which twiceform the series 0, 1, 2, 3 whereas the units disk supports the digitswhich form the series 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. These disks aredriven by two pinions which are associated with them and interact withthe two overlapping plates of a control wheel, whose teeth aredistributed and disposed such that the juxtaposed digits of the twodisks provide an indication of the day of the month.

A piece of the same type is described in patent CH 316 461. The unitsdisk then also supports the ten digits that form the series from 0 to 9,whereas the tens disk supports the series 1, 2, 3, space, 1, 2, 3,space.

Although these solutions are particularly novel, they are not theeasiest to implement.

Therefore, the aim of the present invention is to provide a system ofdisplaying the day of the month with large digits which, without makingany concession to the security of operation, is particularly easy toimplement.

More precisely, the invention concerns a timepiece displaying the day ofthe month, which comprises:

-   -   two rotating disks, at least partially overlapping, serving to        display respectively the units and the tens of the days of the        month, which support, regularly distributed on a peripheral        ring, the series of digits 0 to 9 and the series of digits 0, 1,        2, 3, 3, and are disposed in such a way as to present in        juxtaposition the digits of the one with those of the other, and    -   a mechanism for rotating these disks so that said juxtaposed        digits provide an indication of the day of the month.

In a particularly advantageous manner, the drive mechanism comprises:

-   -   a first crown wheel driven to make one revolution in thirty-one        days by progressing by one step per day around midnight,    -   an additional crown wheel attached to the first and possessing        thirty regularly spaced teeth with the exception of two of them        separated by a double space which corresponds to the absence of        one tooth,    -   a pinion with ten teeth integral with the units disk and driven        by the teeth of the additional crown wheel,    -   a wheel with thirty-one teeth engaging with said pinion,    -   a wheel attached to the wheel with thirty-one teeth and having a        first, a second, a third and a fourth lugs distributed such that        the angles between the first and the second, the second and the        third, the fourth and the first are substantially 116° and that        the angle between the third and the fourth is substantially        11.6°, and    -   a pinion with five teeth integral with the tens disks and driven        by said lugs, which has an additional tooth disposed in order to        be driven by the teeth of the additional crown wheel.

The timepiece according to the invention further exhibits, withpreference, the following characteristics:

-   -   the two disks have the same radius r and the spindles of the        pinions integral with these disks are separated by a distance        substantially equal to 2(r−e), e being the width of the rings        supporting the digits of the units and of the tens;    -   each of said pinions is associated with a jumper serving to        position it;    -   the units disk is slightly lower than the tens disk, which        partially overlaps it in order to interact to present in        juxtaposition the digits of their respective rings and is        pierced, to the right of each of its digits, with an aperture        allowing the units digits beneath it to be seen.

Other features of the invention will emerge from the description thatfollows, made with reference to the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the timepiece according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view, and

FIG. 3 is a view in section along III-III of this piece.

The timepiece shown in the drawing comprises, mounted on a plate 10, aday-of-the-month crown wheel 12 provided, toward the inside, withthirty-one teeth which have the function of receiving the pushing actionof a drive finger moved from the hour wheel, in such a manner as to makeone revolution in thirty-one days by progressing one step per day atmidnight. These teeth also serve to be subjected to the action of apositioning jumper. Since such a mechanism is completely conventionaland well known to those skilled in the art, it will not be described ingreater detail.

The crown wheel 12 receives, on its top face, an additional crown wheel14 which for its part is concentric and is attached to it with the aidof screws 16. This crown wheel has the particular feature of possessing,toward the inside, thirty regularly spaced teeth with the exception oftwo of them separated by a double space which therefore corresponds tothe absence of one tooth.

The plate 10 supports, at 5 and 7 o'clock respectively, two posts 18 onwhich are pivotably mounted and attached by screws 20 two disks 22 and24 of the same radius r.

The left disk 22 serves to display the units of the day of the month andsupports, regularly distributed on a peripheral ring of width e, theseries of digits 0 (or a blank) to 9.

The right disk 24 serves to display the tens of the day of the month andsupports, regularly distributed on a peripheral ring of the same widthe, the series of digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 3.

The units disk 22 is slightly lower than the tens disk 24, whichpartially overlaps it in order to interact to present in juxtaposition,at the 6 o'clock position, the digits of their respective rings whichprovide an indication of the day of the month. It will be noted that thetens disk 24 is pierced, to the right of each of its digits, with anaperture 26 allowing the digits of the units beneath it to be seen.

Naturally, so that the juxtaposition is correctly achieved, the distanceseparating the posts 18 forming the pivoting spindles of the disks mustbe substantially equal to 2(r−e).

To make it easier to understand the mechanism according to theinvention, the various moving parts that constitute it have, on thedrawing, been assigned arrows indicating their direction of rotation.

The units disk 22 is associated with a pinion 28 with ten teeth which ispositioned by a jumper 30 (visible in FIG. 2 only) and actuated by theteeth of the additional crown wheel 14. It makes one revolution in tendays.

The pinion with ten teeth 28 engages with a wheel 32 with thirty-oneteeth making one revolution in thirty-one days, on which is positionedwith the aid of pins 34 and attached with the aid of screws 36, a wheel38 having four lugs A, B, C and D. These lugs are distributed such thatthe angles between A and B, B and C, D and A are substantially 116° andthat the angle between C and D is substantially 11.6°.

The wheel with four lugs 38 engages with a pinion 40 with five teeth(visible only in FIG. 2) making one revolution in thirty-one days,associated with the tens disk 24 and positioned by a jumper 42. Thispinion has, at a level different from that of its five teeth, a sixthtooth 44 disposed in order to be pushed by one of the teeth of theadditional crown wheel 14.

In the mechanism that has just been described, the various mobiles areinitially disposed such that the functions exposed hereafter areperformed.

Toward midnight, on the night of the first of each month, the pinionwith ten teeth 28 receives from the additional crown wheel 14 a pushwhich makes it advance one step and therefore brings the units disk 22into the position in which it displays the digit 2 beside the digit 0displayed by the tens disk 24. At the same time, the wheel withthirty-one teeth 32 and the wheel with four lugs 38 advance by one step,but the latter does not touch the pinion with five teeth 40. The tensdisk 24 therefore remains in its position 0. The display is then 02.

On the night of the ninth of each month, the pinion 28 advances theunits disk 22 to the position in which it displays the digit 0. At thesame time, the wheel 32 and the wheel 38 advance one step but the lug Aof the latter pushes the pinion 40 one step, such that the tens disk 24advances to the position 1. The display is then 10.

The same applies on the night of the nineteenth but it is the lug Bwhich moves the tens disk 24 to the position 2. The display then becomes20.

The same applies yet again on the night of the twenty ninth and it isthe lug C which pushes the tens disk 24 to the first position 3. Thedisplay is therefore 30.

On the night of the thirtieth, the units disk 22 advances to theposition 1 and the lug D pushes the tens disks 24 to the second position3. The display is then 31.

Finally, on the night of the thirty first, because of the tooth missingfrom the additional crown wheel 14, the units disk 22 does not move andcontinues to display the digit 1. However, the sixth tooth 44 of thepinion 40 is knocked by a tooth of the ring 14 and pushes the tens disk24 to the position 0. The display thus moves to 01.

Naturally, every night that has not been given a special description,the mechanism merely advances the units disk 22 by one step withouttouching the tens disk 24 because the wheel with four lugs 38 does nottouch the pinion with five teeth 40.

1. A timepiece displaying the day of the month, characterized in that itcomprises: two rotating disks (22, 24), at least partially overlapping,serving to display respectively the units and the tens of the days ofthe month, which support, regularly distributed on a peripheral ring,respectively the series of digits 0 to 9 and the series of digits 0, 1,2, 3, 3, and are disposed in such a way as to present in juxtapositionthe digits of the one with those of the other, and a mechanism forrotating these disks so that said juxtaposed digits provide anindication of the day of the month.
 2. The timepiece according to claim1, characterized in that said mechanism comprises: a first crown wheel(12) driven to make one revolution in thirty-one days by progressing byone step per day around midnight, an additional crown wheel (14)attached to the first and possessing thirty regularly spaced teeth withthe exception of two of them separated by a double space whichcorresponds to the absence of one tooth, a pinion with ten teeth (28)integral with the units disk (22) and driven by the teeth of theadditional crown wheel (14), a wheel with thirty-one teeth (32) engagingwith said pinion (28), a wheel (38) attached to the wheel withthirty-one teeth (32) and having a first (A), a second (B), a third (C)and a fourth (D) lugs distributed such that the angles between the first(A) and the second (B), the second (B) and the third (C), the fourth (D)and the first (A) are substantially 116° and that the angle between thethird (C) and the fourth (D) is substantially 11.6°, and a pinion withfive teeth (4) integral with the tens disk (24) and driven by said lugs(A, B, C, and D), which has an additional tooth (44) disposed in orderto be driven by the teeth of the additional crown wheel (14).
 3. Thetimepiece according to claim 2, characterized in that the two disks (22,24) have the same radius r and in that the spindles of the pinions (28,40) integral with these disks are separated by a distance substantiallyequal to 2(r−e), e being the width of the rings supporting the digits ofthe units and of the tens.
 4. The timepiece according to claim 2,characterized in that each of said pinions (28, 40) is associated with ajumper (30, 42) serving to position it.
 5. The timepiece according toclaim 1, characterized in that the units disk (22) is slightly lowerthan the tens disk (24), which partially overlaps it in order tointeract to present in juxtaposition the digits of their respectiverings and is pierced, to the right of each of its digits, with anaperture (26) allowing the units digits beneath it to be seen.
 6. Thetimepiece according to claim 3, characterized in that each of saidpinions (28, 40) is associated with a jumper (30, 42) serving toposition it.
 7. The timepiece according to claim 2, characterized inthat the units disk (22) is slightly lower than the tens disk (24),which partially overlaps it in order to interact to present injuxtaposition the digits of their respective rings and is pierced, tothe right of each of its digits, with an aperture (26) allowing theunits digits beneath it to be seen.
 8. The timepiece according to claim3, characterized in that the units disk (22) is slightly lower than thetens disk (24), which partially overlaps it in order to interact topresent in juxtaposition the digits of their respective rings and ispierced, to the right of each of its digits, with an aperture (26)allowing the units digits beneath it to be seen.
 9. The timepieceaccording to claim 4, characterized in that the units disk (22) isslightly lower than the tens disk (24), which partially overlaps it inorder to interact to present in juxtaposition the digits of theirrespective rings and is pierced, to the right of each of its digits,with an aperture (26) allowing the units digits beneath it to be seen.10. The timepiece according to claim 6, characterized in that the unitsdisk (22) is slightly lower than the tens disk (24), which partiallyoverlaps it in order to interact to present in juxtaposition the digitsof their respective rings and is pierced, to the right of each of itsdigits, with an aperture (26) allowing the units digits beneath it to beseen.